Black Coffee and Green Soap
by RainaValentinexx
Summary: A bad tempered tattoo artist is tasked with matching couple tattoos for a bride to be and her fiancé. It should've been an easy job but Sasuke didn't count on falling in love with his client.


Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I would punch myself for how it ended.

Sasuke picked up a pencil and translucent paper on his desk, "Ino! You can bring my three o'clock appointment in now."

"Don't worry, Hinata. He doesn't bite." Ino's voice was heard outside of the door, "Unless he hasn't had his coffee. In which then, good luck."

A sleeve of tattoos connected to a long blonde ponytail walked in the door. His secretary held the door open for the customer. He didn't bother looking up from his desk. The door slammed signaling Ino's leave.

"Hello."

"Feel free to sit down." He pointed to two chairs in front of him without looking.

"Oh, alright. Thank you."

"So what would you like tod-"

Sasuke suddenly forgot how his mouth worked when he saw her.

She was drop dead gorgeous. The tattoo artist had never seen her here before. Blue hair cascaded down her shoulders and ended near her elbows. Her eyes were so light compared to his. His black eyes ran over her arms and upper chest. She had no visible tattoos.

Sasuke was a tattoo artist. He stared at art all day. Hell, he created art all day. Of course, he was used to seeing beautiful works of art all the time. Therefore, Sasuke had no idea why he was so hypnotized by a beautiful woman.

This was nothing new to him.

Well, it shouldn't have been anything new to him. The Sharingan tattoo shop was very popular. They had attractive customers walking in and out all the time. There was something that made her stand out from the rest of his attractive customers.

Not one had taken the air out of his lungs like she had.

She slightly sat up in her seat and touched his desk, "Are you alright?"

The ring on her wedding finger glared at his eyes. Sasuke had a bittersweet smirk on his face. Of course she was married. A gorgeous woman like that...there's no way any man wouldn't rush to claim her.

"It's fine." He took a large gulp of his black coffee, "What would you like today? Wasn't this an appointment for two people?"

"Yes but my fiancé couldn't make it. He...had a last minute business trip." She became stiff as she played with her ring, "We were supposed to get matching tattoos today but Naruto is so bad at organizing his time."

So his name was Naruto.

Lucky bastard.

"Ah. Ino will give you a refund on his behalf of the deposit." Sasuke nodded and spread translucent paper across his desk, "So what would you like?"

"I would like to get 'Naruto and Hinata Forever' with a red scarf in the shape of a heart. About four inches wide and in cursive."

Sasuke gave her a incredulous look.

That was so cliche.

Sasuke hated having to do tattoos that he thought were stupid or too common. But he was a tattoo artist after all. Sasuke could be annoyed at the requests of clients but he would always comply.

He let out a small sigh under his breath, "Where do you want it?"

Hinata clenched her pale hand over the left side of her chest, "Over my heart, please."

He rolled his almost pitch black eyes.

"Alright. I'm going to draw a couple of designs and you tell me which one you prefer. This is going to be on your skin for the rest of your life. Are you sure about the placement?"

"I want it c-close to my heart since that's where I keep Naruto." His new customer explained with dreamy eyes, "I think it's very romantic to have matching tattoos with a beloved."

"That's sweet." Sasuke rolled his eyes, "I hate sweets."

Twenty minutes of silence passed by as he sketched on the paper, "Your hand moves very elegantly."

Sasuke stopped his movements for a microsecond, "I guess."

"Your shop is very popular. The reviews online are always positive too. I'm surprised Naruto and I even got an appointment so soon."

Sasuke looked at her for a split second but didn't reply. He enjoyed to work in silence but he wouldn't dare tell her to shut up. She seemed so soft and innocent. A simple glare would do.

Hinata bit her lower lip after the long pause, "How long have you been a tattoo artist?"

"Seven years."

"Isn't it nice being able to be everlasting?"

"I know I'm creepy looking but I'm not a damn vampire," he semi-joked.

Hinata giggled, "I meant that you create these beautiful tattoos that are on people for the rest of their lives. You will always be a part of the people who walk through that door. Isn't it amazing?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, "It makes a decent living. I'm here even when it's closed so it's sort of my second home."

"You must really love what you do," she muttered in awe.

"It beats being home alone."

Hinata gulped and nodded in agreement, "I apologize if I'm being annoying or disruptive."

"No such thing," Sasuke retorted and showed her the images he created.

Hinata gasped and pointed towards the third drawing displayed, "This is the one!"

"Perfect." Sasuke cut out the sketching and copied it onto another piece of paper, "Do you want shading on the red scarf? And the letters to be black?"

"That sounds great! I'm sure Naruto will love it when he gets the same thing. It has always been a dream of mine to get matching tattoos with someone close to me."

"You mentioned that already. You can sit down by the set up over there." Sasuke got the stencil on the thermal paper and put it on a sterilized table, "Honestly, part of me thinks that this is disgustingly cliche."

Hinata furrowed her eyebrows together, "And the other part?"

Sasuke glanced at her with bored eyes, "It's kind of cute. Not my style but I'm sure it would suit you."

He washed his hands and put on latex gloves. Sasuke began to prepare the needles and color. He sat on a mobile stool close to her chair.

"What? Am I supposed to tattoo you through your shirt?"

"Oh," Hinata blushed a deep red, "S-sorry about that."

She unbuttoned her blouse and slowly removed her bra straps down to her shoulders. Her skin was so creamy and clean. Sasuke wanted to tattoo it. All of it.

And maybe kiss it a little.

Sasuke mentally shook his head. He was usually a lot more professional than this. Maybe he needed more coffee. A lot more coffee. Sasuke gave her a long napkin to tuck into her bra. Distractions during a tattoo session could end up disasterous.

He cleaned her up with rubbing alcohol. Then Sasuke took out a disposable razor and began to ran it along the left side of her chest. It was quite a struggle to not look down. She laughed as he moved the razor.

"What are you laughing about?"

"It tickles a little. I didn't think my chest was hairy at all."

"It's not. It's very smooth." Sasuke gulped, "But even the finest hairs could get in the way."

"I didn't know that."

Sasuke stopped his razor midway, "Don't tell me that this is your first tattoo."

"Yeah," she said nervously, "but I'm mentally and physically prepared."

"We'll see about that," Sasuke cleaned the area with rubbing alcohol again.

She was trembling as he placed the stencil over her heart. He sprayed the spot with water and pat it smoothly. The handsome artist peeled the stencil off to reveal a purplish blue outline of her future tattoo.

Hinata peaked down to look at it, "It looks beautiful."

"And you look like you have five chins when you put your head down like that," Sasuke grinned at her, "Take a look in the mirror and see if you like the position. See if that's what you really want on you for the rest of your life."

Hinata gulped and nodded. She stood up and stared into the full size mirror on the wall. She tilted her head back and forth several times. Sasuke just stared at her with a slight smirk on his face.

This customer was way too cute for her own good.

"This is what I want more than anything." Hinata turned around with a big smile on her face and vigorously nodded, "I love it. I absolutely love it. Thank you so much!"

"Calm down. It's not even finished yet. Hell, it hasn't even been started yet." He laughed wholeheartedly, "If you love it so much, come back here and you'll see it done soon."

Hinata giddily returned back to her seat, "I'm so excited!"

Sasuke took some petroleum jelly and put it on a napkin. He turned on his tattoo machine and grabbed a napkin in his hand.

He began to hold her skin in place, "Are you ready?"

"No! No! No, I'm not." Hinata stared at the needle in his hand, "Is it supposed to make that noise?"

Sasuke backed up from her, "Are you being serious right now?"

"I'm sorry! This is my first tattoo after all." Hinata gave him a nervous smile, "Naruto was supposed to be my support system but he's not here. I think I might end up crying just a tad."

"Too bad. Crying is forbidden here," Sasuke said harshly, "If you don't want your tattoo, we can stop. You'll get a full refund if we stop right now."

Hinata shook her head, "No way! Naruto will think I'm a wimp if I don't go through with it."

Sasuke scoffed, "Who cares about what he thinks? If anyone's a wimp, it is him. He must've been chickened out on getting a tattoo."

"That's not it." Hinata didn't stop staring at the needle in his hand, "He already has a fox with nine tails on his back and a spiral pattern on his stomach."

"Sounds like you're marrying a real weirdo, miss."

Hinata laughed, "I'm going to go through with this for him. I just have to think about him the entire time. You can continue."

"Whatever," he got closer to her skin once again.

"Wait! Wait!"

"What is it?"

"Would it b-be alright if I held your free hand?"

"No," Sasuke rolled his eyes.

How nervous could she be?!

"Hinata, it's literally impossible to hold someone's hand and tattoo them at the same time."

"But-"

"But do you want your precious red scarf to come out looking like a messed up circle instead?"

Hinata gently looked into his eyes, "N-no."

Sasuke decided eye contact with her was a bad thing. Her beautiful eyes had a way of putting him in some sort of trance. He needed to get this tattoo done and over with. He would never have to be so vulnerable again.

"How about this? I'll start tattooing you and when it hurts, you can tell me about your sickening love story with Naruto. You do that for me and I'll try to be done as quick as possible. Deal?"

Hinata licked her plump lips, "Deal."

Sasuke stretched her skin and began to outline Naruto's name first. She flinched and let out a pained moan.

He let out a hefty sigh as he continued to tattoo her, "Where did you guys meet? How long have you known each other?"

"Naruto and I grew up together. W-when we were kids, he would protect me from bullies. He was everything I ever wanted to be. Kind. Outgoing." Hinata took a big breath of air due to the painful sensation on her chest, "Strong. Willful. Confident."

"Sounds like the perfect Prince Charming," he replied sarcastically.

"I wanted to be everything he wanted. I grew out my short hair and I fought to stop being an introvert. Naruto encouraged me to be less uptight and pushed me to start experimenting with makeup. My fiancé made me who I am today," she proudly said with a big smile on her face. "He got me into going to the gym daily despite it not being my forte. And-"

"And you got what you wanted but at what cost? It sounds like you lost yourself trying to please that guy."

"N-no, that's not it at all. I found the true me with his help."

"You found the 'you' he wanted you to be. He should've fallen in love with you just the way you were."

Sasuke mentally shook his head. What was he doing? His mouth was working on its own accord. There was no reason for him to state his opinion on this stranger's love life.

He was a tattoo artist, not a relationship counselor.

"How about we agree to disagree? Is it almost over?"

"Yeah."

"Really?!"

"Yup. I'm halfway done on writing the letter N."

"You're so cruel," Hinata flinched.

"Keep telling me about this idiot. Maybe it'll distract you. How long have you been with him?"

"I'm twenty four now so it's been about three years. We became engaged two months ago."

"Do you have any children with him?"

"N-not yet. I do hope we have a big family. I think Naruto would be a great father."

"You know what? I changed my mind." Sasuke repeatedly wiped her skin and continued to tattoo her, "Fuck telling me about that dude. You seem much more interesting. Tell me about you."

"If you knew Naruto, you'd definitely love him too," Hinata blew a piece of hair out her face.

"I highly doubt that," Sasuke bluntly replied.

"There's nothing special about me. I'm honestly as plain as can be."

Sasuke lightly shrugged, "If you tell me a dull story, I will fall asleep while tattooing you. What will you do if the needle gets stuck in your skin? And you get ink poisoning?"

Hinata gulped, "Wait! Stay awake! I'll tell you a story, alright?"

He didn't make eye contact but he had a half smile on his face, "I'm listening."

"I could've died when Naruto proposed to me." Hinata peaked down to see the work in progress, "He had slipped the ring into my bowl of ramen. Naruto loves ramen just as much as me and he thought he should combine both things together."

"You sure know how to pick them."

"It's the thought that counts," she defended him.

"Yeah, if he was counting on killing you." Sasuke let out a hefty laugh, "What's his obsession with ramen?"

"He's always been a huge fan of ramen. My father hired a personal ramen chef for Naruto. It was my dad's engagement present to him." Hinata stared lovingly at her lover's name on her chest, "He had ramen on call. I had never seen him so happy."

"Shouldn't he have been the happiest when you agreed to marry him?"

"H-he was happy then too!"

Sasuke scoffed, "And what kind of a father gives away a personal chef as a gift? Is your father a part of the yakuza or something?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't formally introduce myself. My name is Hinata Hyuga. I'm the daughter of the business tycoon, Hiashi Hyuga."

Sasuke's lips parted in slight shock, "What's a rich girl like you doing in a tattoo place like this? Won't your father be upset about your inked skin?"

"I...have heard good things about your work. My older cousin, Neji, came here to get a tattoo of a caged bird on his chest. I doubt you'd remember it. It was so long ago," the beautiful heiress said sullenly. "My next tattoo will be dedicated to his memory if I can get through this one."

"Is he no longer with us?"

"N-no."

"My apologies."

"It's alright. He died a year ago. Neji felt too much pressure from our family and committed suicide. Just like my dear Uncle."

"That's terrible. Your family must be really over the top." Sasuke nodded in understanding, "I'm sorry for your losses. What tattoo would you like to get for Neji?"

Hinata swallowed the lump in her throat and her eyes became glossy.

"I want a bird being set free from its cage."

Sasuke stopped tattooing to look up at her, "I'm sure he would love that."

"No, he wouldn't." Hinata wiped her eyes with the back of her right hand, "He'd scold me for getting such a thing on my body and never let me show it off...but that's what I loved about him. It's no use. I'll never know now."

"I have a tattoo for my elder brother. Itachi was driving my mother and father when a drunk truck driver hit their car. They were on their way to see some stupid play that I was in."

"That sounds horrifying. I'm sorry for your losses as well," she dipped her head slightly in order to bow. "Can I see your tattoos?"

"Don't move, dummy. I'm going to start working on the scarf now. Color hurts a lot more than black ink, understood? So you have got to be strong for me."

Hinata tightened her jaw and nodded, "I'll be okay as long as we keep talking. Talking to you is very soothing. I'm sorry if I'm ranting or oversharing with you."

"I don't mind at all." Sasuke continued to tattoo her despite her flinching, "Keep telling me about you."

"Can I hear about you for a change? Please? I feel like you know my whole life story and I don't even know your full name," she said with a pleasant smile.

"It's Sasuke Uchiha."

"I like that name."

"As I like the name Hinata Hyuga."

"Use it while you can. I will soon be Hinata Uzumaki."

"Ah, the first one sounded much better," he retorted half jokingly. "Do you think that man is your soulmate?"

"There's not a single doubt in my mind. What about you? Have you met your soul mate yet?"

"Maybe." He locked eyes with her momentarily, "I won't ever know for sure."

"Finding your one true love is the world's greatest joy. I hope next time I'm here that you're telling me about your wedding," she pat his head.

Sasuke ignored how gentle her hands felt, "I was hoping you'd come back sooner. I didn't think I had to wait another thirty years to see you again."

Hinata let out a snort, "Stop that. You seem like a nice person. You'll be married off in no time, Sasuke."

"Nice? Me? You need to make an appointment with your eye doctor next." He scoffed at her silly meaningless words, "When's your wedding?"

"It's on August fourteenth. If you'd like to attend, please let me know. I'll send you and your lovely receptionist an invitation."

"We'll be fine, thank you."

Hinata quirked up her soft eyebrows, "Is she your girlfriend by any chance?"

Sasuke imitated a gagging sound as if he was throwing up, "There's no way I could put up with that crazy woman. Only an inhuman beast could handle her."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Nope. Why have a girlfriend when I can just tattoo all day?"

"Because I know this pretty girl who's single. I would love to set you two u-"

"You can stop talking now," he rolled his eyes, "Don't go trying to play matchmaker for a guy you barely know."

"She's Naruto's best friend. Sakura is a nurse and her personality is headstrong. I think your souls could match perfectly." Hinata slowly eased in, "I've been trying to find her someone since she's always with Naruto. I know it's kind of rude of me but I can't help it."

"So you're telling me your fiancé has a female best friend that he's always with?"

"I don't like the way you're wording that. Both of my best friends are men," she said slightly exasperated. "Shino and Kiba love me like a little sister. Nothing more, nothing less."

"My apologies. You're right but let me ask one question and I'll drop the subject. Do you trust him? Do you believe in him?"

Hinata gulped, "He is a good guy."

"I didn't ask that, did I? I asked if you believe in Naruto."

"I believe he is a good guy," she whispered back uneasily.

"That's all I wanted to know. Well, I wish the best for you and Naruto. I hope you find somebody for that girl."

"What if we went on a double date?"

"I'd rather tattoo my eyeballs."

"That's not nice, Sasuke," her laugh sounded heavenly.

"I never said I was nice."

"I really like your piercings. It's like they sparkle," Hinata said as she ran her light eyes over his visible piercings. "Do you have any tattoos?"

"A tattoo artist without tattoos is an abomination. I have quite a couple of tattoos hidden."

"After you finish mine, would you let me see yours? If that's alright with you."

"They're nothing special but if you'd like to see them then you're welcome to," he replied back to her. "So do you work for your father or are you without his help?"

Hinata's tattoo spot was numbed by the pain, "I do work under him but I had to work my way into the position I'm currently in. Father has never given me anything to me or my little sister without hard work."

"Are you close with your sister?"

"I love her to death. All she cares about right now is fashion and her boyfriend, Konohamaru...but she's so smart. My precious Hanabi is going to be the Hyuga corporation's president one day."

"Good for her."

"You could meet her if you went to my wedding," she poked at his shoulder with her right hand.

"I wouldn't go to your wedding even if my life depended on it." Sasuke let out a sigh, "You don't know me. What if I came highly intoxicated and trashed your wedding?"

"You wouldn't do that," she insisted.

"You don't know that."

"I know that you're a good person deep down. Deep. Deep. Deep. Like really deep down," she mumbled as he burst out laughing. "I'm going to send you an invitation, irregardless."

"I'll think about it, alright? Get up. It's almost done. Don't you dare touch it!"

Hinata ran to the mirror and stared at it in awe, "It's almost half as beautiful as Neji's tattoo."

Sasuke stepped in front of her with a spray and a clean wipe, "So it looks like shit?"

"N-no, that's not what I intended on conveying," she put her hands up in denial as he sprayed her tattoo. "I meant that Neji's tattoo was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I feel very lucky that this is almost as beautiful as that."

He wiped her tattoo down with green soap, "I was kidding, idiot."

"O-oh, I knew that," she lied as he began to bandage her fresh tattoo.

"I'm sure you did. Ino will give you a printed set of instructions on how to take care of it until it heals properly."

"Thank you," Hinata lifted her bra straps back up and took off the napkin from her bosom, "I can't stop staring at it."

"Don't worry. You have the rest of your life to look at it," Sasuke discarded his gloves in the trash can.

Hinata outstretched her phone towards him, "Can you take a picture of it for me?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

He focused the camera on her flawless face. God, she sure was gorgeous. Hinata was smiling into the picture from ear to ear. Her eyes looked sincerely full of love. His customer was probably thinking about her tattoo's purpose. He handed her phone back to her.

She looked at the picture and then handed it back to him, "Not of me, silly. Of the tattoo!"

"I own a tattoo shop, not a photography studio," Sasuke rolled his eyes as he took a close up picture of her tattoo.

She grabbed her phone and looked at the picture, "Wow! You could have fooled me."

"You give me too much credit," a slightly annoyed Sasuke retorted.

"No, really." She buttoned her shirt back up and picked her hair out from the inside of her collar, "It looks amazing. I can't wait to see what it's going to look like on Naruto."

Hinata peaked at it again before fully buttoning her shirt. A much taller Sasuke stared into the mirror behind her. She looked like she was in awe of the tattoo.

"I can't wait to see it contrast against your white dress," Sasuke slyly said in order to excite Hinata.

She gasped and turned around to face her tattoo artist, "Does that mean you'll come to my wedding?"

"Sure, why not? I'd kill to see who is this guy that you talk so highly about. You make it sound like he put the stars in the sky just for you."

He was caught off guard as the curvy woman jumped on him. She had thrown her arms around his torso and hugged him as tightly as she could. Sasuke was stuck in an awkward predicament.

"Hey! Hey! Stop that. I'm not a hugger." He carefully pushed her off of him, "Hugs are just as forbidden as tears are here."

Hinata smiled up at him with her pearly white teeth, "I'm sorry. It's just that you made me very happy by agreeing to come."

"It's not that big of a deal. I do have more annoying customers to tattoo," he said as he wrote on a slip of paper and handed it to her. "Give that to Ino and you can pay her what's due. And she'll give you back Naruto's part of your tattoo deposit. After that, you're free to go."

"Yes, I must be on my way already." Hinata dug into her purse and took something out, "I'm so glad I made a friend today. Even though you're a little morbid."

The bride to be outstretched her hand and he met her halfway. They shook hands but didn't let go. Sasuke didn't feel skin on the palm of her hand. She was trying to give him a tip.

"Tell that ramen obsessed loser that if he doesn't treat you right, I will choke him with his own uncooked noodles."

"Thank you for trying to look out for me but I'll be alright." She let go of his hand, "Don't look at what's inside of your hand until after I leave, okay?"

"Whatever," he playfully rolled his eyes. "I wonder what it will be. A tank? A dog? A bicycle?"

Hinata slipped on her purse and walked towards the door, "Goodbye. It was really nice meeting you."

"If I don't get a wedding invitation, I will be so offended that I might just really end up crashing it."

She laughed and shook her head, "Promise me something. Don't die all alone in this tattoo shop, please."

"I won't as long as you promise to visit me every once in a while," he crossed his arms across his chest.

"I promise." She stepped out of his private working space and waved goodbye, "When I visit next time, I will bring Naruto with me."

"Or not," Sasuke waved back at her as she closed the door. "Or you could leave Naruto wherever the hell he is and it could be just me and you again."

Sasuke peered at the tip in his hands. His new favorite customer had left a very generous tip for him. Hinata didn't have to do that. Just making him comfortable enough to talk about his family with her was plenty enough for him.

That was very rare.

Sasuke shuddered and mumbled to himself, "Putting an engagement ring in ramen? What the hell?"

A white haired man stepped into his old friend's working space shortly thereafter, "One word. Sharks. And lots of them!"

"Isn't that five words, Suigetsu? Whatever. Shut up and sit down," he told his reoccurring client.

The two wedding invitations came to the Sharingan tattoo shop within a week of Hinata's visit. Ino was super excited to go and Sasuke just kept the formal invitation on his desk. He didn't even open it. Unreasonable jealousy wouldn't allow him to.

Sasuke thought he had felt a spark between them. And it wasn't from the tattoo machine. He had to get out of the tattoo shop more often. Perhaps he was being delusional.

Or maybe there was a tiny spark and he felt guilty about it. Connecting with a woman that wasn't his? Sasuke would never stoop so low. He couldn't help but be envious of Hinata's lover.

Sasuke decided he wouldn't fret over her anymore. She wasn't his and he wasn't hers. They had only met once! There was no thing as love at first sight. There would be no more over analyzing this silly little crush. Hinata crossed his mind a hundred times a day and him? He doubted she even remembered she invited him to the wedding.

Hinata would soon disappear from his thoughts.

Or so he hoped.

It was only April. The wedding was in August. If he changed his mind again and decided to go, he would still have the time.

April quickly turned into May. May was a blur. It was now June. Sasuke walked out of his car with his usual black coffee. He was just supposed to open up the shop early as usual. Sasuke didn't think he'd ever see her again.

Especially not crying outside of the tattoo shop.

"Hinata. What are you doing here? We don't open until eleven," Sasuke said nonchalantly as he tried his best to hide his excitement. "Not that I mind the visit."

Tears streamed down Hinata's face as she forced herself into a hug with him. Sasuke awkwardly hugged her back while being cautious of his hot coffee.

"I need a tattoo. Please tattoo me," her muffled voice said from his shirt.

"Okay. Whatever you want," he unlocked the door for them. "I don't have any clients scheduled until eleven thirty."

Hinata hiccuped from sobbing, "You're all mine until then."

Sasuke's heart skipped a beat.

She frantically took her jacket and shirt off. Hinata practically ran to the chair she had used months ago as she slipped off her shirt. She had a bandeau bra under her shirt. The poor girl didn't even bother wiping away her tears. Sasuke took a sip of his black coffee and closed the door behind her to his work area.

Sasuke washed his hands and put on gloves, "Are you going to tell me what all of this is about? Did something happen with your family?"

"They all knew! Temari knew. So did Shikamaru and Iruka and Tenten. Even Lee knew! Everybody knew but me, Shino, and Kiba," she rambled on as she melted on the chair. "Please make me numb so I can get rid of this ache I feel in my chest."

"What did everyone know?"

"E-everyone knew he was with Sakura. I was an idiot for how long?!" Hinata sobbed into her hands. "How could he do this to me? I dedicated my life to him."

"That son of a bitch," Sasuke muttered as his eyes sharpened. "I'm sorry that your taste in men absolutely sucks."

Sasuke wasn't so good at comforting people.

"I believed in him! There were clothes thrown on the floor leading up to our bedroom," Hinata sniffled her nose between sobs. "When I walked in, they acted as if I was the wrong one. As if I was the one that was intruding."

"Fuck them," Sasuke replied in disbelief. "Forget the both of them. They are the ones who messed up. He is the wrong one here."

"I need a cover up tattoo. I can't stand looking at this thing on my body anymore." She pointed towards her only tattoo, "Help me get rid of it, please. I'll pay whatever price."

"Consider it on the house." Sasuke began to sterilize his table and brought out fresh tools, "Are you sure that you won't forgive him?"

"I'd be a fool to do that. I don't even want to be in the same room as him." Hinata shuddered, "Just the thought of him touching my body after her makes me want to throw up."

"Once you get a cover up tattoo, there really is no going back."

"I will never go back...not to this tattoo nor to Naruto," she said with such a strict confidence that it surprised Sasuke.

He smiled at his favorite client of all time, "Good girl. What would you like tattooed on you?"

"I'm going to say something crazy," she warned him.

"It wouldn't be the first time," he said as he gave her a half grin.

"I'll be trusting your judgment! I want you to freehand it."

Sasuke sent her a bewildered look, "Are you drunk?"

Hinata shook her head and laughed, "No, I'm just heartbroken."

"Do you want me to kick Naruto's ass? I don't mind going to jail if it means you'll be at least a little cheered up," he honestly offered her. "I'll do whatever will make you feel better."

"Then tattoo me," she sat up diligently. "I want something elegant but fiery. Something that signals that I am a brand new person. I am not Naruto's fiancé. I am not his girlfriend. I am not his 'sometimes' nor am I his 'second choice.' I am just Hinata."

Black eyes met pure gray ones, "You don't have to be anything else. Do you trust me?"

"Yes. I'm trusting you with my body. Don't let me down. This cover up tattoo will be the first step in my healing process. It's up to you," she explained with emphasis.

"Don't you dare look until I'm done."

Hinata bit her lower lip, "One more thing."

"Hm?"

"Can you ban the no hugs and tears law in here just for today?"

Sasuke felt his chest clench up.

"I'll let it slide for today but don't get used to it," he pointed at her.

She stood up from her seat and into his arms. An emotional Hinata hugged a stiff Sasuke back for a good minute before letting go. Sasuke let out the breath that he wasn't aware he was holding.

"I'm only going to say this once and I don't like repeating myself so listen," he took off his gloves and washed his hands again. "It is truly his loss."

Hinata gulped and nodded, "Thank you. I-I really needed to hear that from someone who isn't trying to give me pity."

Sasuke shrugged his broad shoulders, "Why would I have to take pity upon you? It's not like you lost something that you deserved. I know you're hurting right now but you're going to be fine one day."

Hinata closed her eyes as she leaned back into the chair, "I'm so fortunate that I met you, Sasuke."

His stone heart skipped a beat.

"Likewise," he mumbled as he got into his working mode.

Hinata didn't even groan or twitch this time. All she did was stare at the wall as tears came down her creamy cheeks. The beautiful woman was taking the pain very well. After an hour and a half of Sasuke doing the tattoo, he put down the tattoo machine.

He cleaned her up once again with green soap, "You can look now."

Hinata's eyes were red at this point but she still managed a smile, "I can't wait to see it."

Sasuke decided she was entirely too pretty and gentle for her own good.

"I hope you like it."

She stood up and walked over to the mirror. He nervously watched her as tears began to flow down once again.

Hinata hiccuped in-between her tears and turned back to face him, "I can't even tell that there was another tattoo there before. You really are magic, Sasuke."

"It's a phoenix," he grabbed a bandage and began to cover up her tattoo. "A phoenix can recycle its own life over and over again. No matter how many times it gets down, it will always get back up."

"What does it mean?"

"It means rebirth and growth," Sasuke took off his gloves and redirected her back to the mirror. "I believe you can rise up from the ashes he left you in."

Hinata's lower lip whimpered as she burst into tears once again. She hugged Sasuke once again and he flicked her forehead. Once he peeled himself away from her, he passed her shirt over to her.

"Don't try hugging me before I've finished my first cup of coffee," he insisted in order to make her laugh.

She slipped on her clothes with a wide smile. Hinata handed him a thick stack of cash. Sasuke pushed the money back, "I told you it was on the house. You don't have to pay anything."

"Stop that. It's yours," she pushed the money back to him and kissed him on his cheek.

She yelled her goodbyes with a smile on her face. Sasuke was too stunned by the chaste kiss on his cheek to try again and deny the money she had given him.

It was another month until he saw her again. Ino had mentioned something about her friend coming over to the shop to hang out but Sasuke hadn't thought too much about it. The blonde was free to do whatever she wanted in his shop as long as she did her job right.

He was caught off guard when he was disposing of contaminated equipment after his last customer. A blur of short hair walked in through the door.

"Hinata? What are you doing here?"

She pointed behind her towards Ino's front desk, "I wanted to cut my hair like how I've always wanted it. Ino helped me out."

"I hope it suits me," Hinata grabbed the ends of her hair. "D-do you like it?"

"I love it," Sasuke genuinely smiled at her. "You always look beautiful. You shouldn't even ask, idiot."

A red blush adorned her cheeks, "I-I...thank you, Sasuke. I wish I could've spent more time with you but there were clients coming in and out with no end."

Sasuke knitted his eyebrows together, "Have you been here all day? Nobody told me you were going to be here."

Hinata pushed a stray lock of her behind her ear, "I didn't want to intrude on your work schedule."

"You're right," Sasuke threw away his gloves and washed his hands once again. "I probably would've canceled all of my appointments for you."

Hinata gulped, "No, you wouldn't have."

Sasuke shrugged and smirked, "Don't believe me then. You know I hate repeating myself."

"And hugs and crying and anything that doesn't involve coffee," Hinata pretended to count on her fingers.

"You know me so well," he said as he helped soothe the short lock of hair that was still out of place.

Hinata glanced at him, his lips, and then back at his eyes, "I've gotta go. I'll see you soon, alright?"

He rolled his eyes as he followed her to the front desk, "Are you going to visit me or Ino next time?"

"Both," Hinata admitted as she laughed. "I'll see you next time."

Hinata lightly elbowed a brown haired man leaning over Ino's desk, "Hey! Stop flirting with my friend."

The man had two upside down triangles tattooed on his cheeks, "I wasn't flirting. I was making friends."

"Oh, so that's what they're calling it nowadays," Hinata laughed as she interlocked their arms together and left the shop. "Good bye Ino! I'll see you soon, Sasuke."

"Ino, call me," the stranger made a phone signal with his hands.

Sasuke didn't even wave back at Hinata. The brown haired man waved at Ino through the transparent glass. His secretary gleefully waved back and blew him a kiss. The red faced man made a phone signal and pretended to talk into it.

"Is that really her type? Unfaithful men who will always have eyes for other women," a disgruntled Sasuke accidentally said aloud.

Ino didn't even bother hiding her snicker, "Are you okay, boss?"

Sasuke glared at her, "Did you see that loser's tattoos? The triangles on his face aren't even symmetrical."

"Somebody's jealous," Ino mocked him.

"Somebody's getting fired," he mocked back.

"Don't worry about him," Ino rolled her eyes. "His name is Kiba. He's her best friend."

"Oh yeah. I remember her mentioning him once or twice," he muttered in an embarrassed state before returning to his work space.

Hinata came back a week later. She was waiting for him before opening hours once again. She had a large cup of coffee in her hand. Sasuke just rolled his eyes as she handed him a complimentary coffee.

"I got you a plain black coffee," she creeped up behind him as he unlocked his shop. "No sugar and no cream."

He inhaled the smell of dark coffee beans, "Just how I like it."

Hinata perked up, "Does that mean I get all day access to Sasuke hugs?"

"You'll need an entire cart of coffee for that," Sasuke scoffed and shook his head, "but it's a start."

He was not a morning person but seeing her so early wasn't so bad. Sasuke let her go inside before him. He took a sip of the bitter black coffee.

She raised her left hand in the air for him to see, "My hand looks pretty naked without a ring on it. What do you think?"

Sasuke gave her a lousy high five, "Are you asking me to marry you?"

Hinata blushed and immediately put her hand down, "No, I'm laying off romance for a while now."

"What a shame. I would make a great husband," he replied slyly.

"Don't tease me, Sasuke."

"Who said I was teasing?"

"You love messing with me," she pouted.

"It's way too easy." Sasuke chuckled at how cute she was, "How about a tattoo instead then?"

"What are you thinking?"

"A sunflower."

Hinata tilted her head sideways, "What do sunflower tattoos mean?"

"Happiness. Warmth. Brightness." He took her ring finger and kissed it lightly, "Everything that reminds me of you."

Her face turned beet red as he let go of her wedding finger. It was taking every atom of Sasuke's self control to not kiss her right there and then. Was there ever a time when she wasn't looking absolutely breathtaking?

Sasuke turned around and began to walk towards his working space, "What are you doing to me?"

Hinata took off her jacket and set it over Ino's chair before following him, "I won't let you put off showing me your tattoos anymore. I want to know what kind of tattoos you have and why."

Sasuke began to take his shirt off in front of her, "You make it sound as if I've been hiding them from you my entire life. We've only ever met three times, you know."

Hinata pointed an accusing finger at him, "But it has been a great three times."

"This is a kunai wrapped in my mother's favorite flowers," Sasuke showed her his forearm. "It was the toy ninja knife my brother got me for good luck. That stupid play will haunt me forever. I remember how Itachi told me ninjas don't have stage fright. My father proposed to my mother with cherry blossoms in his hand."

She seemed genuinely intrigued, "It's so pretty."

He cranked his neck and pointed to a several black marks that went up to his shoulder, "This is a curse mark."

"What's that one for?"

"I got a snake's curse mark on my neck to remind myself about who I am," He stretched his neck. "I was sort of in a gang when I was in high school. The cursed ones."

Hinata gasped, "You were a bad boy?"

"I'm the only one of us that has the tattoo," Sasuke flicked her forehead. "And bad boys do not refer to themselves as 'bad boys'. We were just troubled kids who all came from shitty pasts."

Hinata touched the spot where he had flicked her forehead, "At least you all had each other."

"Karin jumped from foster home to foster home. Juugo was abused all his life. Suigetsu's family was a whole bunch of basket cases. My story seemed lightweight compared to theirs," Sasuke shrugged. "I still keep in contact with the other cursed ones.

"Don't get me wrong! I love learning new things about you," she grabbed a hold of his hand, "but isn't the cursed ones an awful type of jinx to call yourselves?"

"It was other people who called us the cursed ones. The name kind of just stuck with us forever." Sasuke showed her tattoos all over his torso, chest, and arms, "Koi fish. The red string of fate being cut. A summoning snake. My family's crest symbol. These are mostly self explanatory."

"You have so many. I'm jealous," the bluenette pouted. "Which one is your favorite?"

He hesitated before turning around before her, "This piece on my back."

Hinata gasped as she stared at his back. His skin was inflamed everywhere with orange, red, and yellow colors. In the center of his back, there was a large bird spewing out fire.

Hinata traced the bird with her index finger gently, "A phoenix."

"I got this firebird when I finally came to terms with what had happened to my family. It reminds me that no matter what happens, I will emerge victorious. It reminds me that there is life after death," he softly muttered as he felt her fingers trace his tattoo. "I grew up under shitty circumstances. I took all that anger and depression with me as I grew older."

"Sasuke. You are so strong," she whimpered.

His head hung low, "I was in a bad spot mentally. The loneliness and guilt were killing me but I knew I couldn't turn back time. One day, I decided I didn't want to feel like that for the rest of my life. I know it's silly but I felt like I was resurrected after getting this tattoo. No matter what life throws at me, I'll become a phoenix and rise up."

"So your phoenix represents you coming out unscathed out of life's ordeals." Hinata gently ran her manicured fingers across his tattooed back, "What about the fire?"

"That's simple. My world was pitch black. I needed a light."

"Huh?"

"When a man needs light, he makes a fire. Fire is a self destructive element and can burn almost anything to dust. Anything that is in the way of the flames can be destroyed. I can overcome any obstacles I come across," Sasuke let out a small laugh. "That sounded a lot less corny in my head."

"I don't think it's corny at all! It is so beautiful. I'm envious of you."

Sasuke picked his head back up, "What?! You have a similar one on your body."

"Yeah," Hinata jokingly poked at his back and tried to lighten the mood with a joke. "Why did you give me the same tattoo? Did you run out of ideas, Sasuke?"

"I remember." He stayed silent for a couple of minutes before answering, "You said your dream was to have matching tattoos with someone."

Hinata's breath hitched in her throat. How could she reply to that? Sasuke didn't even turn his head to face her. She wrapped her arms around his bare torso and kissed the phoenix on his back.

Sasuke unapologetically let out a laugh, "Did you just kiss my tattoo, you weirdo?"

Sasuke took her arms off of his abs and turned around. She tilted her head downwards in order to hide under her bangs. He grabbed her red face and made her look up at him.

"Why kiss my tattoos when you can just kiss me instead?"

Hinata wet her lips and met him halfway on their first kiss. She managed to wrap him up in a hug once again. Luckily for Hinata, he was too distracted with her mouth to shake off the hug.

"Sasuke! I think a customer left her jacket her-," Ino stopped in her tracks as she walked in on the make out session. "Oh, excuse me. Don't mind me. Please continue."

Hinata let out a small shriek and pulled away from Sasuke. The tattoo perfectionist picked up his black shirt and slipped it back on. Their guest bowed to Sasuke and walked past Ino. She grabbed her jacket that was in the blonde's hands.

"Hinata, you're welcome to stay," Ino grabbed her hand. "C'mon. I'm really sorry that I interrupted you guys."

Hinata put her free hand up in the air, "You weren't interrupting anything."

"She was definitely interrupting something," Sasuke slipped on his black shirt.

"If you leave because of me, he will make me mop the floors with my hair," Ino exaggerated. "Don't go!"

"Sorry. I've got to go help Shino rearrange his bug collection," Hinata shook her hand off lose. "I'll see you two soon."

Hinata ran out of the tattoo shop in a flash of light. Sasuke sighed and shrugged when Ino gave him a look.

"I knew you liked her," she said nonchalantly.

"Just as much as you're going to love scrubbing these floors on your knees," he said sarcastically.

"But I just got my nails done. That must be illegal as an employer," Ino complained before leaving his working space.

Hinata didn't come back for another month. And she didn't come alone.

Ino had warned Sasuke that he was going to get an irritable customer soon but he muted her like usual. His head had been in the clouds ever since that kiss. He could not get it out of his head no matter what. Sasuke began preparing for his customer when the bastard had come in.

"Babe, I'm going to get started. No! You can stay chatting with your friend," a blonde haired man yelled to the waiting area before closing the door. "What's up, dude?"

"Sit down." Sasuke glanced up to see a man with whiskers on his face, "What kind of tattoo do you want?"

The unnamed man sit in front of Sasuke, "I need a big red scarf on my chest."

A clueless Sasuke didn't think anything of it, "What's with people and red scarfs these days?"

"It's a funny story. When my honey confessed to me, she did it with a red scarf. It became a memento of our love ever since then," the blonde proudly said.

"I think that might just be the new trend or something."

"I was supposed to get this tattoo a while ago but you know how procrastination goes. Wanna hear my story?"

"Not really," Sasuke truthfully answered as he began to prepare the tracing paper.

"Everyone makes mistakes, right? When she finally forgave me, my woman said I had to get this tattoo in order to make it up to her," the man laughed as Sasuke half listened to his story. "I was cheating on her by accident."

Sasuke loudly scoffed with no fear in his voice, "How do you cheat on accident?"

"I got caught," the man winked at Sasuke. "So I'm thinking if I get this tattoo and an incident like that happens again...I will just be like look at how much I love you. This is on my body forever just for you. Blah, blah, blah."

Sasuke roller his eyes in disbelief, "So this tattoo is just going to be something to help you cheat some more? How lovely."

"If I cheated on her once and she took me back then I can do it again. Now that I know that she'll always take me back then screw it! I win in both scenarios, right?"

"But don't you-" Sasuke felt sick to his stomach, "Whatever. Your love life and decisions are none of my business."

"Babe hasn't let me touch her since. Maybe after this tattoo, I'll be able to get some action." The man slipped off his shirt and pointed towards the left side of his chest, "I want it right here just like how she has it."

Sasuke's eye twitched.

There was a spiral pattern on his stomach. Black eyes observed the several animal tails poking from his rib cage.

"And she has this silly dream of getting matching tattoos with someone. Hopefully she'll want to compare our identical tattoos together...naked. Am I right or am I right?"

Sasuke cringed.

"You know what?! I do have a picture. Duh," the oblivious man pulled out a phone and showed him the smiling picture of Hinata. "Here it is."

It was the picture he had taken of her.

"She's beautiful," Sasuke said through clenched teeth. "It's almost as if you don't deserve her."

"Crap, wrong photo," Naruto peeked at his phone and scrolled to the next photo. "Here it is."

These were the photos he had snapped. This was his girl in the pictures. This was his work of art that he had tattooed on her. This was the girl that he had fallen for.

And this was the dirty bastard that hurt her.

"You don't have to show me it. I remember that distinct tattoo perfectly," Sasuke began to angrily sketch the copy of the tattoo. "She took you back, huh? I was not expecting that."

Naruto yawned and scratched his blonde hair, "Neither was I."

Sasuke kept his obsidian eyes on the drawing, "So she took you back with no problem whatsoever? How did you do it, you mastermind?"

"I honestly do not know. By the time babe decided to forgive me, she had already moved out of the house. I was pretty discouraged by then but I didn't give up. I mean she paid eighty percent of the bills. Hinata had to come back," the sloppy man explained to his tattoo artist, "She's the smart one between us two."

"You can sit over there. Far away from me," Sasuke copied the sketching onto the thermal piece of paper. "Seeing as she went back to you, I don't think she's as smart as we thought she was. Is the wedding back on?"

"Not yet. I'm working on that. This forgiveness thing is a step by step, my brother," Hinata's lover walked over to the tattoo chair and sat. "Her dad was going to give me this incredible car as our wedding present."

Sasuke washed his hands and put on gloves, "Don't tell me you just love her for her family's money."

"I don't love her just for the money," Naruto shrugged in the chair. "The money is just a bonus. I got to have this free personal chef because of her. And not to mention, that body of hers-"

"I think I'm losing brain cells listening to you talk. Just sit there with your mouth shut as I tattoo you," Sasuke muttered to himself in a low tone.

"What'd you say, buddy?"

"I said you're a lucky man," Sasuke faked a smile as he began the preparation process. "It'd be bad if I lost concentration while tattooing you. If you could give me the pleasure-a favor of not talking to me while I have a needle in my hand, that'd be great."

"As if you'd ever mess up. Hinata said you're the greatest tattoo artist in the world," Naruto said a matter of factly.

"How could she know that? She's only been here twice."

"Twice?! Why would she come here twice when she only has one tattoo?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Not only was this guy an asshole but he also didn't know how to count.

"Well, I have high hopes for you. My future wife talks about you like you're perfect."

"It's funny because she talks about you like you put the stars in the sky. But it turns out that they're just generic stars painted," Sasuke said spitefully.

Naruto closed his eyes as Sasuke began to tattoo him, "Fake stars. Real stars. Fake love. Real love. As long as it looks and sounds like the real thing, then who cares?"

"So you're telling me you wouldn't care if you thought you had a diamond and it was actually a crusty rock?"

"I'd be pissed!"

"I imagine that's how Hinata feels," the more sincere of the two said aloud.

"Think of all the ramen I could buy if I sold that diamond," the idiot voiced his true thoughts.

Sasuke bit his tongue in order to refrain from cursing Naruto the hell out, "Shut up. Please just shut up until after I finish this tattoo."

"Vegetable ramen," he ignored the artist's threats, "Shoyu ramen. Beef. Chicken. Pork."

An hour later full of Naruto's stupid ramblings, Sasuke put down his tattoo machine. He quickly sprayed it with green soap and bandaged it.

Sasuke practically threw his gloves into the trash can, "You can get out now. My secretary will take your payment and will give you a set of aftercare instructions. Try not to hit on her."

Naruto put his orange jacket back on and nodded in approval, "Is that babe yours?"

"Her name is Ino and she is not mine," Sasuke handed him the bill of his tattoo. "My assistant doesn't belong to anyone besides herself. Don't tell me you're going to attempt woo her right now."

"No way. I'm on my best behavior until I get married," Naruto furiously shook his head. "Besides, Hinata's out there chatting it up with her."

"Hinata's here?"

"Yeah. She's with that hot goddess out front. I can't wait till Hinata grows her hair long like Ino again," Naruto waved at Sasuke. "Thanks for the tat."

"No problem," Sasuke gave him the middle finger behind his back. "Make sure you keep Hinata happy or I will tattoo a dick on your face."

"Ha! Good one," Naruto laughed as he walked away, "Don't worry. Simply being with me makes her the happiest girl in the world."

"Simply being with me makes her happy," Sasuke mocked as he shut the door. "Dumb ass."

Sasuke washed his hands and put on gloves. He was disposing his tools when he heard the door open again. It had better not be that son of a bitch.

Sasuke kept his eyes on what he was doing, "Did you forget something?"

Hinata smiled at him as she neared Sasuke, "It's me. I bet you're wondering why Naruto is here."

"I'm not wondering anything. You weren't even on my mind." He glared at her momentarily before his eyes softened, "I'm glad you got your prince charming back."

"You have to hear me out," Hinata giggled. "It's not quite what you think."

"It sure looks like that," he spewed venom at her. "I can't believe how stupid you are to go back to him."

Hinata laughed and stepped closer to the tattoo artist, "Have you had your coffee yet? You're not you until you've had your coffee."

"I've had my cup of coffee. Several cups, actually."

"Then what's gotten into you?"

"Nothing!" Sasuke glared at her with judgmental eyes, "I'm just a little irked at how incredibly stupid a smart girl like you can be."

"I'm not stupid. Don't call me that," Hinata's smile was quickly dropped. "Listen to me. You're going to be so proud of me!"

"Proud of you? You're even dumber than your boyfriend and I'm sure he only has three brain cells." Sasuke moved aside and washed his hands, "How could you go back on your word? I despise people like you."

She stood by his side with glossy eyes, "Don't say something like that without hearing me out first. Can you just listen to me for a second?"

Sasuke walked behind her and cornered her into the sink, "The last time I listened to you, you told me you weren't going to go back to him."

"B-but I didn't really-"

Sasuke neared his face close to her, "What's so good about him? Huh? Tell me."

"N-nothing," she managed to say before he snuck his hands on her chin. "Please listen to me. I made him get the tattoo because-"

Sasuke crashed his lips onto hers and kissed her hard. When he retreated, she was making this cute face like she was expecting another kiss. Dark eyes glared at her slight pout poking out. She was waiting for another kiss but Sasuke didn't dare.

"Do you know what he's doing over there? Right now, he's probably hitting on Ino." Sasuke whispered in her ear, "The man that you are hopelessly in love with will never be satisfied with just you. No matter how hard you try and how much you pray, you will never be good enough for him. Can't you see that?"

Hinata's eyes snapped open, "I am more than enough for anybody."

He crashed his lips onto hers aggressively. Their tongues collided in lust and fury. Sasuke didn't let go of her until she was out of breath.

"No, you're not," he kissed her again despite his chest heaving. "He's always going to wander. No matter how much you love him or care about him. The one you love will never feel the same way about you."

Hinata slapped him.

Hard.

His eyes widened momentarily before he dove in for another kiss. She kissed him back as he held her hands down.

"Get this shit through your pretty little head," Sasuke pulled away with one red cheek, "You will never be good enough for him."

He went in for another kiss. She had no force in her hands. Hinata was reciprocating the hateful kiss just fine until Sasuke tasted iron. She had bit his lower lip with force. Sasuke backed up and touched his wound.

"Okay. I deserved that," Sasuke admitted, "But I don't regret saying it."

Hinata wiped the tears on her face and walked towards the door, "I hate you. I never want to see you again."

"That's impossible. It's just like you said," Sasuke pointed to his chest, "Because of your tattoos, I will be with you forever. Whether you like it or not, I will always be a chapter in your life."

"W-well," Hinata sobbed once more before walking out of the door, "I'm closing the book."

"See if I care," he yelled as she walked away, "Make sure you send me an invitation with the new wedding date."

"I sure will, you prick," Hinata yelled back as she reached Naruto talking to a disgusted Ino. "Naruto! We are leaving now!"

Naruto opened his mouth as if he was going to debate it before shutting it. He simply nodded to Ino and followed Hinata outside. The blonde receptionist threw out the small piece of paper he had given her in the trash can.

"Boss, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sasuke screamed back.

"You don't sound fine," Ino slowly eased in. "That guy was full of crap."

"Tell me something I don't know," Sasuke closed his workspace door. "Call my next appointments to come early. I need my schedule packed."

"Are you sure you don't want to take breaks in-between?"

Sasuke opened the door once again, "I said what I said. I need to keep my mind preoccupied or else I might just go crazy."

Ino shrugged and picked up the phone. The next morning, Sasuke was practically stomping to the tattoo shop. Hinata was waiting outside by herself.

He just pretended to not acknowledge her. Sasuke heard her footsteps follow him in.

"We don't open until eleven. Get out."

"I-I can wait."

"Sharingan tattoo does not take walk ins," he stoically said as he took off his jacket.

"Then can I make an appointment for when you're free?"

"Our appointments are booked for the next six months. Besides, we don't do laser removal for cover up tattoos," Sasuke said spitefully.

"Sasuke, can you please just listen to me?"

"Make it fast and then get out of here," Sasuke just walked into his working area knowing she'd follow. "Don't you have a wedding to plan?"

"I'm not back with Naruto," Hinata yelled with all her might. "He didn't even know that I got a cover up tattoo."

Sasuke threw her an incredulous look, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Hinata took a few steps closer to Sasuke, "I pretended to take Naruto back. I-I didn't get closure so I settled for revenge instead."

"Did you do what I think you did?"

Hinata licked her lips and cautiously nodded.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her as he stepped closer to her, "You didn't."

"I convinced him that getting the tattoo would make me forgive him," Hinata stayed quiet until she saw Sasuke's lips form into a smile. "I wanted him to suffer just a little bit. We are never getting back together. Maybe I should've told you about my plan beforehand."

"That would've helped the situation," Sasuke pulled her in a hug, "A lot."

"I thought you said no hugs in your tattoo shop," Hinata teased as she sunk into his arms.

Sasuke squeezed her tighter, "Well, technically we're not even open yet so it doesn't count. I can't believe you pulled such an extreme prank."

Hinata laughed as she hugged him tighter, "I know he's going to get a cover up tattoo but still, it was worth it anyway."

"That loser has to wait a couple of months before getting a cover up tattoo. There's no way he'll be able to pick up chicks with that thing on his chest," Sasuke pressed a kiss on her forehead, "I am so relieved."

"You were pretty upset yesterday when you thought I went back to him," she eased into saying.

"That's an understatement. I was enraged. Sorry if I said anything that hurt your feelings. I was just trying to get my point across," Sasuke looked down at her, "So does this mean you're single or?"

Hinata laughed wholeheartedly, "Yes. I am very available."

"Interesting," Sasuke mumbled as he let go of the beauty in his arms. "I wouldn't mind changing that one day."

"I like how you don't even bother to hide how happy you are about it," she poked his toned belly. "How long were you waiting for me and Naruto to break it off?"

"Probably," Sasuke cranked his neck as if he was in deep thought, "from the minute I realized you were taken. I wanted to take that ring off of your finger the moment it shone in my eyes."

Hinata blushed and looked away, "There's no way that's true."

Sasuke fake gasped at her, "I don't care about what trust issues Naruto made you have. You never have to worry about lies with me."

"S-stop that," she stuttered in embarrassment. "You make it sound like you're my boyfriend."

"I'm just telling you what's on the table," Sasuke shrugged. "I messed up once by not telling you how I feel. I refuse to make that stupid mistake ever again."

"What are you trying to say?"

"You wouldn't have to worry about me cheating on you since I hate everyone else. I would never suck up to your rich dad. I'd tell him a big 'fuck you' for Neji and your uncle. There's no chance I'd ever make you change the way you are," Sasuke ranted in a low tone, "I'm Naruto's complete opposite."

Hinata giggled and shook her head, "Sasuke! Where is this all coming from?"

"I should stop talking right about now. I guess I haven't had my much needed dose of coffee yet," he said with a light laugh. "I think I need to drink at least four cups to be in a good mood."

Hinata grabbed his shirt and pulled him down into a kiss, "I think that's why you always taste like bitter coffee. Plus, you always smell like green soap."

Sasuke scoffed before going in for another kiss, "That sounds absolutely disgusting."

Hinata smiled into his mouth, "I think I could get used to it."

"It's better than tasting like ramen and smelling like other women," Sasuke reminded her in a crude tone, "right?"

"Way better," she giggled before going back to kissing him.

"Thought so," he smugly replied.

"Wait," Hinata backed up from his lips but stayed within his embrace, "It's not that I-I don't like you. I'm very, very attracted to you...Very! But I just got out of a long term relationship. I mean I was about to get married! It'd be nice to take things slow...if that's okay with you."

"I'm in no rush," he kissed her forehead. "I'll wait for you until our tattoos disappear."

"But tattoos are forever," she spoke in a confused tone.

"Then that's how long I'm willing to wait for you."

Hinata blushed a deep red, "I don't think it will take that long."


End file.
